The Gnome Princess
"The Gnome Princess" is the fourteenth episode of Season 1, created by Numbuh 404, and introduces a new character. It is set to run between 9 - 11 minutes in length. Synopsis Prince Pyro is not looking for love when his father invites over another Gnome family and their daughter, Glacia, so he stays in his room with the hope that he won't need to meet them. However, he ends up finding the princess in the hallway outside his room and they talk until her parents arrive to take her home. With some encouragement from his personal servant and father, he decides to meet with her again, and again, and eventually develops a fondness he would have liked to avoid. Will the Gnome families be brought closer together through their kids or will their kingdoms oppose? Story The episode begins just outside the entrance of the Gnome Cave where King Gordon and his son, Prince Pyro live, and from inside, there seems to be some commotion between the king and his advisors. When the interior is in view, his majesty calls in his son. Upon Pyro's entrance, he informs him that there will be guests arriving shortly - another Gnome family, with whom they may tie together their kingdoms through a Peace Treaty. Prince Pyro wastes no time expressing his disliking of some prospect to meet their lovely daughter, especially when his father implies them being the expected "knot-tiers" in this meeting. He says he's not interested in meeting "some random girl with a tiara" and is certain she would not want to meet his "random self in a crown." With that out of the way, he returns to his room, requesting to be left alone until they are gone. Although his father is upset by this, he regains his composure when one of his advisors enters to inform him of the family's arrival. He welcomes the family consisting of a mother, father, and their daughter, and leads them to the central chambers where they can discuss the terms of their kingdom's new Peace Treaty. He is introduced to their daughter, Princess Glacia, to which he compliments her lovely smile and believes his son would enjoy meeting, "If only he would give her a chance." Somewhat discontented by this, she asks to explore the cave, saying she never knew Gnomes could live underground; the king accepts, and her parents let her go. While she begins strolling through the carved hallways, the prince is sitting on his bed, reassembling his fishing rod until he hears footsteps outside. He opens the door and steps out of his room to discover - to his astonishment and agitation - the gnome princess his father had told him about. He asks what she is doing, so she turns around and perks up her ears. "Counting the roots," she answers, to which he flatly replies, "Twenty-two, not including the one with the split end." She glances up to see the one he is referring to, nods, and then smiles before asking what he was doing hiding in his room. Being slightly taken aback, the prince informs her that he was simply not interested in meeting her or her parents after his father had implied they be the initiators in the Peace Treaty between their kingdoms; to his surprise, she agrees with his thinking, although admitting she would still like to know him. After some small talk, he begins to realize she is not just "some random girl" like he assumed, but when their parents arrive, he returns to his former stiffened demeanor. They are acquainted by his father briefly, and then call their daughter so they may depart. She and the prince exchange glances before she joins them at their sides and tells him she hopes they will meet again. At first Prince Pyro is content with the idea, but immediately frowns and turns away to escape from his father's suggestively raised eyebrow. "I'm not keeping in touch with her," he insists under his breath. His father protests in a playful manner, but is still met with a closed door, so he sighs and retreats to his throne room to consider his alternative options. Along the way, he sends his son's personal servant to talk some sense into him. For a day or so following, Pyro puts up with incessent nagging from his father, several soldiers who had met the other family, and his personal servant; finally, he snaps and agrees to send her "a stupid letter" if it will appease them. His father is relieved when he catches his son writing in his room, but tries to stay out of his way - just in case it might change his mind. With the letter sent to the Gnome Palace by a carrier sparrow, they await a response. In the meantime that he is out on a walk to vent his frustrations, Princess Glacia is outside in the garden gazebo when the carrier sparrow drops the scroll down to her. Upon reading it and finding out the sender, she begins writing a response; once done, she gives it to the sparrow and sees it fly off. After a cut scene, Prince Pyro receives her answer, initiating a scheduled meeting - or "date" as his father teases. Several days later, they meet up at a pond near Pussywillow Hollow and he surprises her with fishing poles, intending to spend the afternoon fishing. When she admits she's never learned this hobby, he feels obligated to teach, and so they undergo a private lesson. He explains how to hold the rod, watch the bait on the line while it's in the water, and - most importantly - to be patient. She has some trouble casting off at first, but with a few tries - and a moment to recover from a mild tantrum - they finally settle down and keep their conversations to a minimum volume. "I'm Pyro," he whispers. "I'm Glacia," she replies. They talk softly, sitting on the bank, and pass the time watching the fish nibble on their lines. With no one there to disturb the peace and quiet of their fishing lesson, they begin to bond. At sunset they call it a day, having caught a few fish each, and make plans to meet again; Pyro insists that she decide their next activity, to which she happy agrees. After a short blackout transition, the scene is returned to the cave throne room where King Gordon has received a scroll from the other Gnome family, and is delighted for him and his son to be invited to their annual Summer Solstice Extravaganza, which will be held in one month. He seeks out his son so they may prepare in proper attire; Prince Pyro, while happy to attend, is shown fiddling with the handle of his sword as his father leaves. His personal servant notices his nervousness and decides to give him the small gift he had been told to deliver. When Pyro opens it, he finds a small crystal with a note that reads, "I bet this would make the coolest hilt piece..." and a signature from the princess. He tosses the paper away and examines the crystal in his hands while his servant dares to ask about their relationship. At first he tells him it's none of his business, but when he is persistent, the prince sighs and ultimately admits he is unsure of his feelings: "I don't really like her, but she's always on my mind...I can't make heads or tails of anything right now, so leave me be." His servant disappears, and then he attaches the crystal to his sword hilt, thinking nothing more of it that evening. During the time he has to prepare for the royal evening, he takes some time to venture through the forest again. During these walks, he runs into Dorgan, his best friend, who advises him to listen to his heart and not his head when it comes time to cross that bridge. "Do you see yourself being with her or not? You'll know when the right moment comes," he says. Still not convinced, he asks the Smurfs for help and winds up hearing the same pearls of wisdom from Papa Smurf. At this visit, too, he is briefly introduced to Moxette and Joey McCormick; in return, they are educated on his encounter with Greedy Smurf and how Papa strengthened his relationship with his father. Before leaving, he welcomes them to visit the Gnome Cave anytime, to which the Smurfs are delighted. One month later, he attends her parents' Extravaganza and subtly hints to his new hilt decoration when he sees her. She persuades him to leave the crowd after a few minutes and they end up behind the palace where she confesses a growing admiration for him. Hearing this - especially with her holding his hands and looking at him with a flirtatious smile - his heart picks up and he tries to rid himself of the lump in his throat. He beats around the bush, putting together some story about being unsure of his feelings, and is easily silenced when she pecks his cheek and returns to the party. Through the remainder of the evening, he goes back and forth on his answer and remembers Dorgone's advice about listening to his heart, but he does not hear it at first. Frustrated, he wanders near a rosebush and counts the buds and blooms: twenty-two, not including the one rosehip. Suddenly, he understands what it means, and searches the crowd for Glacia. At the close of the celebration and everyone leaves, he catches her attention before his father leads him out. He glances at her parents, clears his throat, and uneasily asks her to be his girl. She accepts, and her parents look joyously upon them, so he relaxes and embraces the princess before going home. King Gordon, too, expresses his pride for his son and pats his shoulder with his head held high. "She's quite a 'random girl in a tiara,' isn't she?" he chortles. Prince Pyro shares a laugh and ensures him that even she was able to find interest in a "random boy in a crown," thus ending the episode on a positive, lighthearted note. Trivia *While this episode does not pertain directly to the LD Storyline, it does help develop some of the crossover characters (particularly the Smurfs) in relation to the Expanded AU-exclusive characters. Continuation *'Episode 13' -- "Beyond the Mirror's Reflection" *'Episode 15' -- "From Stage Fright to Stardom" Category:Smurfs Episodes Category:Numbuh 404's Articles Category:LD Stories episodes